Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson

Paperback Edition

Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson is a young adult novel. Catalyst is also the second novel I've read by Laurie Halse Anderson to date.

As usual, I found Laurie Halse Anderson's writing to be very engaging. She creates interesting leading characters. I like the plot and storylines Laurie Halse Anderson creates. I also feel that Laurie Halse Anderson is direct and to the point with the words she uses to create her novels.

I must say that the character of Teri Litch in Catalyst was not my favorite character. I initially didn't like her at all. Teri Litch is mean, rude, aggressive, angry at the world, has a chip on her shoulder, a bully, steals things, and is just not a very likable person at all... As Catalyst unfolds, we learn a lot about Teri's rough life at home and more about her background, which explains a lot about why she is the way she is. Teri never quite gets rid of her rough/gruff personality, but by the end of the novel we see a change in her personality for the better and some moments where Teri does seem vulnerable and open.

Kate Malone is the leading character of Catalyst and is an overachiever. Over the course of the novel, we see Kate's personality shift as well on how she views the world. 

Additionally, Kate and Teri have never been friends ever. In fact, Teri use to bully Kate routinely. The two are forced to share a bedroom together indefinitely when Teri moves in with Kate's family after a major fire destroys Teri's family's home. Neither of the teenagers are thrilled with this idea and do not get along. Eventually, a sort of friendship develops between the two by the end of the novel, as both teenagers are transformed by events over the course of the novel.

The following is a plot summary for Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson from Amazon:

Meet Kate Malone-straight A science and math geek, minister's daughter, ace long-distance runner, girlfriend, unwilling family caretaker, emotional avoidance champion. Kate manages her life by organizing it, as logically as the periodic table. She can handle it all-or so she thinks. Then, like a string of chemical reactions, everything happens: the Malones' neighbors get burned out of their home and move in. Because her father is a Good Man of God (and a Not Very Thoughtful Parent), Kate has to share her room with her nemesis, Teri Litch, and Teri's adorable, troublemaking little brother. And through it all, she's still waiting to hear from the only college she has applied to: MIT. Kate's life is less and less under control-and then, something happens that blows it all apart, and forces her to examine her life, self, and heart for the first time. Set in the same community as the remarkable Speak, Catalystis a novel that will make you think, laugh, cry, and rejoice-sometimes at the same time.

I am giving Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!